Sphygmomanometer



United States Patent 'Ofilice 3,032,030 Patented May 1, 1962 3,032,030SPHYGMOMANOMETER Purn S. Han, Semerville, NJ. (WI-1.0. Nigeria 14,P.M.B. 5094, Ibanan, Nigeria) Filed Nov. 6, 1959, Ser. No. 851,440 7Claims. (Cl. 1282.05)

This invention relates to an improved measuring sphygmomanometer fortaking blood pressures.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a more compact,cheaper, and more eflective, eflicient and easily used device of thekind indicated, combined with a stethoscope, which involves acompressible applicator element in communication with a measuringmanometer having a connection for a stethoscope.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the characterindicated above whose use eliminates the various and plural proceduresnormally required for taking blood pressures with stethoscopes andmanometers, and requires instead only pressure application to an arteryarea of the compressible applicator element.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter indicated above which is composed of a small number of simpleand easily assembled parts, and wherein the compressible element isquickly and easily removed for sterilization or replacement, and iseasily put back into place.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention willbe apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing,wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of theinvention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a device of theinvention in use to take blood pressure from an arm artery;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged bottom perspective view of the device, with thestethoscope removed;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the applicator elementremoved from the body of the device; and,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on the line4-4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designatelike parts throughout the several views, the illustrated device,generally designated 10, comprises a rigid, light-weight sheet metalcasing 12, of fiat cylindrical form, having a side wall 14 on whoseupper end is an internal annular retaining flange 16. Spaced downwardlyfrom the flange 16 and upwardly from the lower end of the side wall 14,is a horizontal partititon wall or plate 18 which is suitably fixedaround its edge, as indicated at 20, to the side wall 14. Spaced belowthe partition wall 18, and located adjacent to the lower end of the sidewall 14, a bottom plate 22 extends across the casing 12 and is suitablyfixed at its edge, as indicated at 24, to the side wall 14. The sidewall 14 has on its lower end and closely spaced below and facing thebottom plate 22, an internal annular assembling flange 26, preferably ofarcuate cross-section.

Located in the chamber 28 defined in the casing 12 above the partitionplate 18 is a flat cylindrical measuring manometer 30 which rests uponthe partition plate 18 and has an upstanding pointer shaft 32 whichextends upwardly through an accommodating hole 34 provided in aretaining disc 36. The retaining disc 36 has suitable frictionalengagement at its edge with the casing side wall 14, as indicated at 38,for holding the disc 36 and the manometer 30 down in place. Themanometer 30 is sutiably one similar to the available Tycos manometer.The securing means 38 can be in the form of an upstanding annular flange40 on the disc36 whose free upper edge 42 is engaged with the undersideof a glass 44 which spacedly overlies and exposes to view a hand orpointer 46 on the shaft 32, with reference to a pressure scale 47, theglass 44 being held in place by the retaining flange 16.

The partition plate 18 is provided with an eccentric hole 48 to pass thedownwardly directed nipple 50 on the manometer 30. The bottom plate 22is provided with a central circular opening 52 which is somewhat largerin diameter than a rigid stethoscope bell 54, whose larger open end,surrounded by an external bead 55, faces down-v air sack or bladder 64having parallel vertical outer and inner side walls 66 and 68,respectively, which are joined and spanned at their lower ends by anarcuate bottom" wall 70. The walls 66, 68 and 70 are flexible andresilient, and have limited stretchability. The sack 64 fur-. thercomprises a flat annular top wall 72 which is joined to and spans thespace between the upper ends of the side walls 66 and 68. An enlargedcross-section rigid external attaching head 74, preferably ofcylindrical crosssection, which is formed at the junction of the upperedge of the outer side wall 66 with the top wall 72, and which isdimensioned and located to be snapped into and out of engagement behindor above the assembling flange 26, and engaged with the underside of thebottom plate 22, and the inner side of the casing side wall 14, in amanner to assemble the sack 64 to the lower end of the casing 12, withits top wall 72 close to and tensioned toward the underside of thebottom plate 22, as illustrated in FIG- URE 4.

Rigidifying the sack top wall 72 and providing retaining or assemblingmeans for the stethoscope bell 54, is a pair of vertically spacedinternal upper and lower beads 76 and 78, respectively. The lower bead78 is formed at the upper end of the inner side wall 68, while the upperhead 76 is formed on the lower bead 78 and rises through the opening 52of the bottom plate 22. The sack 64 is structurally and operativelyconnected in communication with the bell 54 by securably and removablyengaging the upper internal bead 76 over the external bead 55 on thebell 54, with the lower internal bead 76 engaged with the underside 'ofthe bell bead 55, as shown.

In vertical alignment with the manometer nipple 50,- the top wall 72 ofthe air sack 64 has an upstanding resilient nipple 82, which risesthrough a hole 84 provided in the bottom plate 22 and is removablyengaged on the manometer nipple 50.

In use and operation of the device 10, by the use of only one hand ofthe operator, the applicator air sack 64 is placed on the arterial areafrom which a blood pressure reading is to be taken and held in situ withthe desired degree of pressure, as read on the scale 47, while the tips86 of the stethoscope 62 are engaged in the ears of the operator of thedevice 10. The opening of the sack 64 is centered over the properlychosen arterial area, so that the indirecting sounds are funnelledthrough the center of the sack 64, directly to the stethoscope bell 54,

While there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of theinvention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarilyconfined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of andin the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated asbeing within the scope of the invention as defined by the claimsappended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A measuring sphygmomanometer comprising a rigid casing having a sidewall, a manometer secured within the upper part of the casing, saidmanometer having a movable pointer and a pressure scale exposed throughthe, upper end of the casing, a stethoscope having a flexible tube and abell connected in communication therewith, said bell being mountedwithin said casing beneath the manometer and having a downwardly facingopen end, an annular compressible applicator air sack secured to thelower end of the casing, said sack having a central opening registeredwith the open end of the bell, and means providing communication betweenthe sack and the manometer.

2. A measuring sphygmomanometer comprising a flat rigid casing having aside Wall, a flat manometer secured within the upper part of the casing,said manometer having a movable pointer and a pressure scale exposedthrough the upper end of the casing, a stethoscope having a flexibletube and a bell connected in communication therewith, said bell beingmounted within said casing beneath the manometer and having a downwardlyfacing open end, an annular compressible applicator air sack securedtothe lower end of the casing, said sack having a central openingregistered withthe open end of the bell, and means providingcommunication between the sack and the manometer, a rigid bottom platesecured in the lower part of the casing, said sack having a top wallengaging the underside of the bottom plate, said sack having an externalannular assembling bead, and the, casing side wall having an internalassembling flange spaced and below the bottom plate behind which theassembling bead is forcibly and removably engaged.

3. A measuring sphygmomanometer comprising a flatrigid-casing having aside wall, a flat manometer secured within the upper part of the casing,said manometer having a movable pointer and a pressure scale exposedthrough the upper end of the casing, a stethoscope having a flexibletube and a bell connected in communication therewith, said bell beingmounted within said casing beneath the manometer and having a downwardlyfacing open end, an annular compressible applicator air sack secured tothe lower end of the casing, said sack having a central openingregistered with the open end of the bell, and means providingcommunication between the sack and the manometer, a rigid bottom platesecured in, the lower part of the casing, said sack having a top wallengaging the underside of the bottom plate, said sack having an externalannular assembling bead, and the casing side wall having an internalassembling flange spaced and below the bottom plate behind which theassembling bead is forcibly and removably engaged, said sack havingvertically spaced internal annular assembling beads surrounding itsopening, said bottom plate having an opening registered with thestethoscope bell and passing said upper internal bead, the bell having aperipheral portion securably and removably engaged between said upperand lower heads.

4. A measuring sphygmomanometer comprising a flat rigid casing having aside wall, a flat manometer secured within the upper part of the casing,said manometer having a movable pointer and a pressure scale exposedthrough the upper end of the casing, a stethoscope having a flexibletube and a bell connected in communication therewith, said bell beingmounted within said casing beneath the manometer and having a downwardlyfacing open end, an annular compressible applicator air sack secured tothe lower end of the casing, said sack having a central openingregistered with the open end of the bell, and means providingcommunication between the sack and the manometer, a rigid bottom platesecured in the lower part of the casing, said sack having a top wallengaging the underside of the bottom plate, said sack having an externalannular assembling bead, and the casing side Wall having an internalassembling flange spaced and below the bottom plate behind which theassembling head is forcibly and removably engaged, a fixed partitionplate extending across the interior of the casing between the manometerand the stethoscope hell, with the manometer resting upon the partitionplate and the bell engaged with the underside of the partition plate,said pointer and pressure scale being on the upper end of the manometer,and a glass secured in the casing above the pointer and closing theupper end of the casing.

5. A measuring sphygmomanometer comprising a flat rigid casing having aside wall, a Hat manometer secured within the upper part of the casing,said manometer having a movable pointer and a pressure scale exposedthrough the upper end of the casing, a stethoscope having a flexibletube and a bell connected in communication therewith, said bell beingmounted within said casing beneath the manometer and having a downwardlyfacing open end, an annular compressible applicator air sack secured tothe lower end of the casing, said sack having a central openingregistered with the open end of the bell, and means providingcommunication between the sack and the manometer, a rigid bottom platesecured in the lower part of the casing, said sack having a top wallengaging the underside of the bottom plate, said sack having an externalannular assembling bead, and the casing side wall having an internalassembling flange spaced and below the bottom plate behind which the,assembling bead is forcibly and removably engaged, said sack havingvertically spaced internal annular assemb'ing beads surrounding itsopening, said bottom plate having an opening registered with thestethoscope bell and passing said upper internal head, the bell having aperipheral portion securably and removably engaged between said upperand lower beads, said air sack having parallel vertical outer and innerside walls and an arcuate bottom wall joined to the lower ends of theside walls, said side walls and bottom walls being flexible andresilient.

6. A measuring sphygmomanometer comprising a fiat rigid casing having aside wall, a flat manometer secured within the upper part of the casing,said manometer having a movable pointer and a pressure scale exposedthrough the upper end of the casing, a stethoscope having a flexibletube and a bell connected in communication therewith, said bell beingmounted within said casing beneath the manometer and having a downwardlyfacing open end, an annular compressible applicator air sack secured tothe lower end of the casing, said sack having a central openingregistered with the open end of the bell, and means providingcommunication between the sack and the manometer, a rigid bottom platesecured in the lower part of the casing, said sack having a top wallengaging the underside of the bottom plate, said sack having an externalannular assembling bead, and the casing side wall having an internalassembling flange spaced and below the bottom plate behind which theassembling bead is forcibly and removably engaged, said sack havingvertically spaced internal annular assembling beads surrounding itsopening, said bottom plate having an opening registered with thestethoscope bell and passing said upper internal bead, the bell having aperipheral portion securably and removably engaged between said upperand lower beads, said air sack having parallel vertical outer and innerside walls and an arcuate bottom wall joined to the lower ends of theside walls, said side walls and said top and bottom walls being flexibleand resilient.

7. A measuring sphygmomanometer comprising a flat rigid casing having aside wall, a flat manometer secured within the upper part of the casing,said manometer having a movable pointer and a pressure scale exposedthrough the upper end of the casing, a stethoscope having a flexibletube and a bell connected in communication therewith, said bell beingmounted within said casing beneath the manometer and having a downwardlyfacing open end, an annular compressible applicator air sack secured tothe casing at its lower end, said sack having a central openingregistered with the open end of the bell, and means providingcommunication between the sack and the manometer, a rigid bottom platesecured in the lower end of the casing, said sack having a top wall toengage the underside of the bottom plate, said sack having an externalannular assembling bead, and the casing side wall having an internalassembling flange on its lower end and below the bottom plate behindwhich the assembling bead is forcibly and removably engaged, said sackhaving vertically spaced internal annular assembling beads surroundingits opening, said bottom plate having an opening registered with thestethoscope bell and passing said upper internal bead, the bell having aperipheral portions securably and removably engaged between said upperand lower beads, said air sack having parallel vertical outer and innerside walls and an arcuate bottom wall joined to the lower ends of theside walls, said side walls and said top and bottom 10 walls beingflexible and resilient.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSRodbard July 16, 1957 2,833,274 Reiss May 6, 1958 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION I i-item No, 3,032,130 May 1, 1962 Pum5. Han

at error appears in the above numbered pat- It is hereby certified thhat the said Letters Patent should read as ent requiring correction andt corrected below.

i m the bending to the printed specification, line 4, .0; Ice-nan,Nigeria" read Ibadan, Nigeria Signed and sealed this 4th day ofSeptember 1962i (SEAL) Altest:

DAVID L. LADD Commissioner of Patents ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer

